🥁 Virtual Drum Kit — Play Online
Tap the pads or use keyboard shortcuts to play. Choose from 3 kit presets, adjust volume and reverb, and record your beats with the loop recorder. Works on mobile and desktop — no download needed.
💻 Keyboard keys shown on each pad. Tap or press to play.
Loop Recorder
Record up to 8 seconds, then loop it.
Not recording
✅ How to Use the Virtual Drum Kit
- Tap any pad to play that drum sound. On desktop, press the keyboard shortcut shown on each pad.
- Switch between Acoustic, Electronic and Hip-Hop kit presets using the buttons above.
- Toggle Reverb for a room sound or keep it dry for a punchier feel.
- Adjust the volume slider as needed.
- Press Record, play your beat, then press Stop — then Play to loop it. Perfect for practising patterns.
How It Works
All drum sounds are synthesised in real-time using the Web Audio API — no audio files are downloaded. Each drum uses a combination of oscillators, noise buffers, filters and envelope generators to mimic the physics of real drums. The kick uses a pitched sine burst with a fast pitch sweep; the snare layers tuned noise with a body oscillator; cymbals use band-passed white noise with exponential decay. Different kit presets tune the envelope parameters — attack, decay, sustain and release — to match the character of acoustic, electronic and hip-hop drums. Reverb is applied via a convolution node using a synthetic impulse response.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the kit presets?
Acoustic uses longer decays and more reverb body, mimicking a real drum kit in a room. Electronic is tighter and more synthetic with sharper attacks. Hip-Hop uses deeper, sub-heavy kicks and a crispier snare snap common in trap and boom-bap production.
Can I use a keyboard to play?
Yes — each pad shows its keyboard shortcut. Use the keys shown to trigger each drum without taking your hands off the keyboard. You can play full rhythms with both hands.
Does it work on mobile and tablet?
Yes — all pads are touch-friendly with large tap targets. For best results on a small screen, the grid switches to 2 columns. On tablet or in landscape mode you get the full 4-column layout.
How long can the loop recorder record?
Up to 8 seconds. The recorder captures exact timestamps for each hit and replays them in a continuous loop with accurate timing.
What do the different pads play?
The kit includes Kick Drum, Snare, Closed Hi-Hat, Open Hi-Hat, Crash Cymbal, Ride Cymbal, High Tom, Mid Tom, Floor Tom, Clap, Percussion (cowbell-style) and Rimshot — a full 12-piece setup.
Why does the sound need a click first on some browsers?
Browsers require a user gesture (tap or click) to start audio. After your first tap, all subsequent sounds play instantly with no delay.
Drum Pad Reference
| Pad | Name | Key | Role in a beat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥁 | Kick Drum | A | Foundation — beats 1 and 3 in 4/4 |
| 🪘 | Snare | S | Backbeat — beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 |
| 🔔 | Closed Hi-Hat | D | Keeps tempo — every 8th or 16th note |
| 🔓 | Open Hi-Hat | F | Accent/phrases — let it ring |
| 💥 | Crash Cymbal | G | Section starts and accents |
| 🎵 | Ride Cymbal | H | Steady groove cymbal in jazz/rock |
| 🔴 | High Tom | J | Fills and rolls — high pitch |
| 🟠 | Mid Tom | K | Fills and rolls — mid pitch |
| 🟤 | Floor Tom | L | Fills and rolls — deep low punch |
| 👏 | Clap | Z | Layered on snare or off-beats |
| 🔶 | Percussion | X | Cowbell-style accent colour |
| 🎯 | Rimshot | C | Crisp snare accent, ghost notes |